Mark your calendar for the upcoming Shoreline and Shallows Conference set for Thursday, March 7, 2019 in East Lansing. This year’s conference will feature presentations on impacts of moderate and high-energy waves on lake shorelines and lake level impacts. Visit the Michigan Natural Shoreline Partnership website for more information.
Shoreline development along inland lakes often results in the wild native shore being replaced with seawalls, rock and lawns down to the water’s edge. As a result, many lakes have little or none of their original vegetation. The reintroduction of natural shorelines through the use of green landscaping technologies and bioengineered erosion control help promote a variety of ecological services such as slowing pollutant runoff, stabilizing eroding soils, deterring geese, improving fish and wildlife habitat, and revitalizing the ecological function of the lakeshore.
Each year the Michigan Natural Shoreline Partnership (MNSP) and its partners, including the IWR, focus on emerging and current topics related to natural shorelines including the selection of native plants, influence of changing climatic conditions, policy issues and local ordinances, new bio-engineering, case studies, design considerations, high energy sites, economics of natural shoreline projects and other key issues.
